There are new data to chew over in the ongoing controversy about obesity being diagnosed as a disease from a study tracking 157,159 participants in the UK Biobank over 13 years. This shows that even in the absence of any metabolic disturbance such as elevated lipids, high blood pressure or diabetes, there is an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, heart failure and liver disease in people with a body mass index over 30.
Chengdu Diao Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. has patented new 1,2,4-triazole compounds characterized as apelin receptor (APLNR) agonists. As such, they are described as useful for the treatment of obesity, hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, diabetes, atherosclerosis, osteoporosis and sarcopenia.
The development of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists, such as semaglutide and tirzepatide, has been a game changer in the clinical management of overweight and obesity, but there is interpersonal variability in efficacy of these medications for weight loss, as well as in the incidence of undesired side effects. Investigators from the 23andMe Research Institute have shed some light on how variations in the GLP-1R and GIP receptor (GIPR) genes impact their effectiveness and the occurrence of side effects.
More than four decades on from the approval of the first biologic drug, the industry has reached a tipping point, and biotech drugs now outnumber small molecules in the global R&D pipeline. At the start of the biotech industry, progress was slow. Between 1983 and 1995, the U.S. FDA approved an average of two biologics each year. Now, biologics have taken the lead by the smallest of margins, accounting for 50.1% of drugs in development at the start of 2026, according to the Pharma Annual Review 2026, published by Pharmaprojects, a firm that tracks global pharma R&D.
Ibio Inc. has received clinical trial notification (CTN) acknowledgement from Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), as well as Human Research Ethics Committee approval, for IBIO-600, enabling the initiation of a first-in-human trial in Australia.
Proqr Therapeutics NV has highlighted the continued progression and expansion of its early-stage pipeline of RNA editing therapies, including programs in cholestatic diseases, Hurler syndrome, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis and Rett syndrome.
Suzhou Spring-Sea Bio-Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. has discovered new prodrugs of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) polypeptides acting as glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists reported to be useful for the treatment of diabetes, obesity, overweight, chronic kidney disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, neurodegeneration, diabetic nephropathy and cardiovascular disorders, among others.
Ambrosia Biosciences Inc. has announced a $100 million oversubscribed series B financing intended to support progression of the company’s oral small-molecule GLP-1 candidate and other novel cardiometabolic programs into clinical development.
Aconcagua Bio Inc. has divulged new calcitonin (CALCR; CT-R) and amylin receptor agonists intended for use in the treatment of pain, neurodegeneration, bone, metabolic and cardiovascular disorders.
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